[ P ] Believe And You Will Find Your Way

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he could hear massive paws pounding the earth and stones behind her as they descended and she kicked up her speed, feeling Cian was gaining on her with how much larger he was. She pressed onward at nearly full-speed aside from where she rounded tight corners, squealing with glee as she flew down the mountainside. Remaining alert to where her best friend was racing behind her, she knew immediately when his footfalls stuttered just before he came crashing down in a tumbling heap.

Clover slammed on the breaks, skidding to a halt and nearly toppling herself as she whipped around. When she saw the massive lump of fur as he'd made his final landing her eyes widened. "Cian!!" She screamed his name before she came dashing back up the incline to where he'd fallen. She lowered herself down, her blush-colored orbs full of concern as she looked him over. "Oh, no, no, no! Cian! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

@Cian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

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t was several seconds more before Cian regained his senses, as Clover’s panicked voice reverberated inside of his skull. He blinked hard, disorientation fading into pure humiliation. He pulled himself to his paws hurriedly and cleared his throat, as if it were possible now to pretend nothing at all had occurred. He attempted his best cool smile to further prove it. ”I’m fine! I, uh, I guess that means that you have won the race.” His nervousness had returned in his embarrassment, and he could scarcely bring himself to look into the gentle rose-colored pools of his companion.

But even as he spoke, his ears pinned backward and his face scrunched up in pain. He looked down to survey his paws. Other than a bit muddy, each digit looked fine. But a radiating ache drew his attention to his tail, which looked perfectly normal – until he got to the end of it. Had it always looked so crooked there at the end…? He worked hard to suppress a frown as his attention returned to Clover, hoping desperately (but knowing that it was for not) that she would somehow overlook this injury.

Still the darkness increased around them as the sun had retired for the night, and the indigo hues of dusk painted the lands. ”I – I am not sure we will make it down the mountain today,” he commented quietly, apologetically.




@Clover

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er nose wrinkled and she tilted her head in confusion before shaking it adamantly. "Cian, I don't care about winnin' a silly race." She studied his eyes, her expression earnest as she wanted to reassure him and make sure he understood that she was simply trying to have fun. "Especially if yer hurt!" Clover added, his lip quivering lightly when she watched him wince in obvious pain.

Following his gaze, she gasped when her sights landed on the unnatural kink in his tail that she knew was not there moments before. She began to dance back and forth on her paws with sheer nervousness, lifting her gaze to the skies to see that the light was fading even faster now. She glanced down the pathways and frowned before turning back to her injured friend. "It's okay, Cian! Please don't worry about it. We can find somewhere ta sleep for tonight and then we can wake up early and go down the rest of the way."

Clover leaned towards him, trying to catch his eye as she offered a small, hopeful smile. "Besides, it gives me a chance ta take care of ya, doesn't it?" Her smile radiated warmth and she moved to press up against his right flank side. "Here, c'mon now, let's find a nice place ta rest and then we can-" She gasped suddenly when she turned to peer down the path they'd been headed before. There in the center of it, gently swaying will-o-the-wisp glowed in the shadows of dusk and as she watched, it strayed off the trail and into the woods.

@Cian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

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bserving Clover’s concern caused Cian to feel remorse, for if he had not been hurt in the first place, she would not be frowning and worried now. She would still be filled with joy and excitement, still racing down the mountain. And then her lip began to tremble with emotion… it was almost too much to bear. He opened his mouth to apologize, but stopped himself as the girl hurriedly worked harder to reassure him. Her efforts inspired a little smile on his large muzzle. ”Y-yes, I suppose there, er, really is no reason to rush, eh?” After all, he had nowhere else to be anymore.

"Besides, it gives me a chance ta take care of ya, doesn't it?" The question left him dumbstruck – he had been taught for so long not to need others. Some old lessons were harder to forget than others. He began to lean toward her again, eager to feel her closeness, even if he did not deserve it.

But fiery eyes grew wide at the sound of Clover’s gasp, and the youth turned sharply, causing another wave of agony to radiate from his tail. But he ignored it as he caught sight of the tiny light, so like a firefly but not, and his mouth fell open in surprise. The wisp moved toward the woods and away from the edge of the trail. Instinctively, Cian stepped closer to watch, transfixed by the mysterious glow.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

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lover glanced sideways at Cian as he took a step closer. She'd already been enticed to do so herself, but she'd wanted to make sure they were in agreement before she went scampering after a glowing essence in the middle of a forest. His slightest advance was all the permission she needed and she moved with him, keeping her eyes trained forward now on the bouncing ball of light as it danced it's way further into the undergrowth.

She halted and nudged into Cian to do the same when she saw the will-o-the-wisp hover in place by an ancient looking wall of rock, roots and mosses covering it entirely. "Look, Cian..." Clover whispered, watching curiously as the wisp swayed before it moved its way between some of the thicker roots and vanished behind them. A moment or two later, it peeked back out behind one of the knotted roots as though it were trying to see if they were still following. "It looks like it's...going inside something...do ya think it's trying ta help us?"

@Cian

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he large youth followed the wisp, silent, the rational part of his brain still trying to dismiss the sight before him as mere fantasy. But even when he blinked a few times, the glowing light remained. It seemed so silly, didn’t it, to believe that this oddity that was not supposed to really exist in the first place was not only as real as the nose in front of him, but that, yes, it did seem to be trying to communicate with the lupine pair. As the doubt crept through him, the glow seemed to dim; desperate to make it stay, Cian shoved the cynicism aside. Stranger things had happened, anyway – why else would he be standing there today?

Clover’s gentle lilt broke the silence, and Cian nodded slowly along. ”It’s – it’s definitely trying to say something, yes.” When it came to these magical things, these beings that should not feasibly be, Cian still had much to learn. But it certainly did seem to be beckoning the young wolves closer. Curiosity drew the boy closer, all the while further away from the reality he had left behind. His nostrils flared as he sniffed around, but he could find no trace of others like them. ”It’s like a secret, just for us.”




@Clover

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck